History

Old Dubbo Gaol

Where history comes to life

Old Dubbo Gaol is a state-heritage listed must-see. This remarkably complete and intact Gaol operated for 119 years from 1847 to 1966 and is still nestled in the main street of Dubbo. The Gaol is representative of powerful, surprising and dark moments in Australian prison history and houses important collections including the hangman’s kit and gallows and unforgettable experiences including the solitary confinement cell and bird’s eye view from the Watchtower. The Old Dubbo Gaol can offer fully-guided day tours, self-guided day tours, twilight night tours and themed tours and experiences.

Dubbo Royal Flying Doctor Base

Experience the wonderful work of this Australian aviation icon

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world, providing extensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to people over an area of 7.69 million square kilometres. The Royal Flying Doctor Service Education program is an interactive learning resource that introduces students to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), its significant contribution to our history and its relevance to all of us today.
Developed to address key learning areas on the Australian curriculum, the program uses comprehensive online lesson plans, online student workbooks, curriculum links and a fully-interactive incursion program that supports the resource.

Dundullimal Homestead

A Tale of Endeavour and Vision

Dundullimal Homestead is Australia’s oldest standing timber slab homestead and offers a rare insight into early rural life in the colony. Built in the early 1840’s as the head station of a 6,500 hectare squatting run, the homestead is Dubbo’s oldest building open to the public. Its interior is remarkably sophisticated with the homestead surviving in near original condition at a time when the land was beyond the limits of settlement.

Western Plains Cultural Centre

People Places Possessions

Western Plains Cultural Centre's museum offers a wide variety of engaging syllabus-linked history programs to excite and engage. The educational activities are built around the museum's extensive collection (over 5,000 objects), an interactive 1950's classroom which offers an immersive historical experience and significant historical sites in and around Dubbo. The Western Plains Cultural Centre is committed to stimulating the imagination, encouraging questions and equipping students for the future by informing them about the past.

Historical Tours in Dubbo

Explore the City's intriguing past

Walk in the footsteps of our pioneering ancestors, from bushrangers and underworld figures to renowned architects and ornate buildings, Dubbo is steeped in history and there's no better way to discover it then on a Dubbo City Heritage Walk.

Experience traditional Aboriginal Australia on a First Lesson Cultural Tour. Hear stories from traditional land owners, eat bush tucker and walk the tracks of our ancestors from hundreds of years ago.

Or join the ghost of notorious convict-come-squatter, Dusty Bob, as he tells the story of the beginnings of Dubbo intertwined with his life as he tries to overcome his convict past. Will he succeed? Find out on a Dubbo Town and Country Tour.